Fabric laminating



C. E. MAYNARD FABRICLAMINATING Nov. I6 1926.

INVENTOR.

Nov. 16 1926.

C. E. MAYNARD FABRIC LAMINATING Filed Oct. 20, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Nov. 16 1926,

C. E. MAYNARD FABRIC LAMINATING Filed Oct. 20, 1924 INVENTOR.

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 16 1926. 1,607,409

c. E. MAYNARD FABRIC LAMINATING Filed Oct. 20, 1524 -4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patente-ti Nov. 16, 1926.

Unirse s rArss PATENT orifice.

GHARLES EDGAR MAYNARD, or NoR'rHAiv-tr'ron, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIGNon To THE FIsK RUBBER COMPANY, F CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS., A coRPoRATIoN 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

FABRIC LAMINATING. Y

Application filed October 20, 1924. Serial No. 744,531.

This invention relates to a device for laminating fabric material, and is particularly concerned with the preparation of rubberized cord fabric for vuse in the building Vof tire casings. In this art one standard method of cord tire building requires the use of a laminated strip built up of two plies of so-called cord fabric (fabric having the strainresisting cords or members running in one direction only), with the cords of the two layers crossing each other at an angle to the length of the strip. Either before or after application to a tire-building former the strips are cut to length Vand spliced to form an endless band, known as a pocket in the former case. Since the cords lie on the bias, and since it is undesirable to sever the cords intermediate the edges of the strip, the proper manner of cutting is parV allel to the cords; but since the cords in the two layers cross each other it is impossible to sever the laminated strip as a -unit without violating these requirements. It has been proposed in the patent to Little, 1,471,905, dated October 23, 1923, to permit the indiK vidual severance of the two layers by inserting a temporary separator between them as they are being laminated. Thev object of the present invention is the improvement of the Little method and the provision vof an apparatus by which the'improved method may be practiced.

Referring to the' drawings,

F ig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan of one form of apparatus;

ig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a continuation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a continuation of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail of a conveyor;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 8,; Fig. 7 is a section on line 7 7 of Fig. 4; v Fig. 3 is a detail plan online 8-8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a detail of a completed pocket;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view, correspondi ing to Fig. 9, of a modified pocket;

Fig. 12 is a-view,'simi1ar to Fig. 1, of a modification;

Figs. 13, 14, and 15 are views thereof similar to Figs. 2, 3, and 4respectively; f

Figs?. 16 and 17 are diagrammatic details of a device for use in building endless bands from material laminated on the conveyor; and Y Fig. 18 is a detail similar to Fig. 11, but showing a modification.

In the drawings, I have shown two'modi i'cations of the invention, differing mainly in the manner of inserting the liner or separator between the two plies of material.

According to the form first to be described the insertion and removal of the separator is accomplished automatically at definitely spaced intervals; while in the other form the separator is inserted and removed by operators, an indicating device pointing out the proper place. The two forms are similar, and to the extent of similarity equivalent partswill be denoted by the same reference characters. is shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

On frames 2O and 21 respectively are carried belt conveyors 22 and 23, supported on pulleys 24, 25, 26, and27. The pulleys 25 and26 are placed close to each other so that, as strips of fabric carried by the two conveyors 22 and 23 Vare brought together and drawn between the pulleys, they will be pressed into firmly adhering Vcontact (Fig. Preferbaly one of these rollsis made adjustable with respect to the other by an ordinary belt tightening adjustment 27,"so that the pressure with which the plies of fabric' are forced together may be varied.y

Underneath belt 22, and running in the opposite direction, is another conveyor 28 passing around a pulleyV 29 located under That form to be considered first pulley 26. In the case of the modification p now being described this belt passes under a roll 30, around rolls 31 and 32, over roll 33, around an end pulley 34, and back to4 pulley 29, being supported in this latter idle travel by guide rolls 35. The course of this belt is slightly changed in the other modification, as will appear below. The united plies of fabric drop from the bite of rolls 25 and 26 onto the conveyor 28, 'and are carried upon which .the rolls 33 and 34 are supported.

vSecured on the shaft of roll 30 are a pair of sprockets 37'. Vand, secured at various points to frames 20 and 36 and to a superstructure 38 are pairs .of sprocketsl 39, serv= by it in the latters course over frame 36 Ell ing to guide chains Lit). To these chains are lsecured in any suitable Way. as by the use ot links il (Fig. 5) having' riveting' flanges 42, separating pieces 43 ot substantially triangular form, conveniently made ot cloth and having guide lines del ruled across them from the apex perpendicular to the base ot the triangle. As the tivo plies et fabric aK and converge between the pulleys 25 and 26, the chains e0 lead separators 43 between them at properly spaced intervals. Thereafter the path of the chain-supported liners is the saine as the path ot the laminated strip as carried by belt 28, except that l prefer to have the separator carrying chains rise above the surface ot the belt as the latter approaches the top ot 'trarne 36. lt desired, however, the paths may coincide at thisrpoint. At a point l? tween sprocnets 39" and 39C the operator tears the upper ply ot fabric* as will be described more tully belowv` and turns back the part. ot the tabi'ic overlying;r the liner. 'it' the preterred censtruction is adopted the laminated sheet7 which has been held. to the path oi chains l0 by the separator 43, drops to belt 2S While the chainsl With the liner still supported between them` pass around sprockets 39 on the start ot their return journey back to pulleys 25 and 26.

Guides l5 and t6 are secured to tre-.nies 2O and 2l respectively, above and in substantial contact with belts 22 and 23, serving to permit accurate placing ot the plies ot tabric on the belt. Preferably these guides are secured by members i? having slots t8 through Which extend bolts e9 attached to the frame. By tightening nuts on these bolts the guides can be secured in any desired adjusted condition.

' Extending slightly over the remote ends oi belts 22 and 23 are idle belts 50 pa sing around pulleys 5l. lhile not necessary 'tor the operation ot the device these belts are a convenience in assembling the iabric stripsv` as Will appear more fully during; the description of the operation of the device. Y

The power for operatinel the various conveyors is conveniently derived troni a motor 52 connected by gearing; 53 to a countershatt 541. A sprocket 55 on this shalt connected. by a chain 56 to a sprocket 5T on the sha'tt ot pulley 25. A gear 58 on the countershaft 54 meshes with a gear 59 on the shaft oit pulleyV 29, While a sprocket 60 on. this latter shaft is connected bv chain 6l with a sprocket 62 on the shaft ot pulley 26.

is a convenience in the adjustment ot the chains 4l() tor dilierent spacine's ot the separators, the chains are caused to pass around Lsaire ot sprockets 63 and 64 (Fig. 2) the latter of which have adjustable bearings 65. To change the spacing; of the separators the flanged links il are re-distributed, and such additional regular links as are necessary are added or Withdrawn. The consequent change in the length of chain is tal-:- en care ot by lthe several bearinjs G5.

The operation o this torni ot de 'ice may now be described. An operator standing beside each of the guides 45 and lill splices into continuous lengths a and b respectively, a series of bias out strips 0 of the usual t' building material` usingthe guides to locs. the strips accurately on the conveyor. strips may be placed on belts 50 by another operator Who receives their. troni a conveyor or `from any other source. ylhese tree running,` belts are ot assistance in splicing as their speed is not governed by that ot th, underlying` belts 22 and 23,v and hcnfe operator doing' the sj'ilieinp; can adjust the ends oi the strips accurately, the strip which beine' added being' held out ot contact with the belts 22 and 23 until it .is pulled belts 50 by the advancing' continuous strip. i

The two continuous strips thus 'formed are carried by their respectiveconveyors and 2?) between pulleys 25 and. 255. which s them o firm adherence forming;y a laminated strip d. At intervals separators 43 are introduced between the two strips by the chains 40 and travel between them through pulleys 25 and'26, preventing; adherence ot the strips at these places. llllhen the chains carrying the separators reach sprockets 39' they are raised from belt 2S. carrying the lam1t nated strip With them. Af; terthe chains again reach a horizontal travel another operator tears the upper ply ot' material on'a bias line Correspending` to the strain-resisting elements in the material,

starting With the point on one riff et theV fabric marked bv the central ruled line 41-4; ot the separator (see lett of Fig. l2), and turns back the torn end. The Weight ot the strip will cause it to drop baclr upon conveyor 28, releasing it 'trom the separator and turning` back the other ap of the upper plv. When the belt has carried the iartially torn strip past the vertical flight- `ot chains 40. the operatorV tears the underneath ply, starting from the same point as before but proceeding in the opposite direction. The strip thus severed will have the appearance shown in Fig. 18 lwhen the tlapsv turned haelt for convenience in tearing., are

straightened outY The torn off strips are removed trom conveyor 28 as fast as they.

are prepared, and may be spliced into endless bands mtltie's. 9 and it or stored flat,

The second form of the invention is somewhat simpler in construction but 'follows generally the outline above except that the chains carrying the separators are omitted. the separators being in this case applied manually to one of the strips. As a guide tor locating' the separators a disk 70 is rotatably mounted .onj a bracket 71 at one side ot conveyor 227 and carries a pointer gli CII

or marker 72. The disk is pressed into con-` the location of the ruled center line 44 of the separator'. An operator may place the separator 43 withy its center line directly under the pointer or may make a crayon mark where the pointer comes and place the l disk by another having a diEerent circum-1 ference.

A freely rotating roll'w73 is mounted On a bracket 74 near the top. of pulley 25 or slightly down towards the bite of the two conveyors 22 and 23, resting lightly against the' conveyor 22 to guide the separators smoothly between pulleys 2.5 and 26. Vere this roll not used there would be danger of the separators bridging the gap between the conveyors and being folded 'as they were carried between the rolls. The only other difference worth not-ing between the' two forms is that belt 28 preferably has a slightly changed path, passing around rolls 76 and 77, which serve to change its direction without requiring the laminated strip to pass between the belt and a pulley, and over a roll 78 to table 79. Y

The operation of this form of device is substantially that of the modification pre.- viously described, except that the separators are put in by hand instead of automatically and that the laminated strip'is supported at all times during tearing by the belt 28. As the laminated strip is brought upon the table by belt 28 the operator tears the upper strip along the line Vof cords, starting from one edge at the point marked by line 44 on the separator, removes the separator, and tears .the under 'strip along the line of its cords, which preferably run in the opposite direction from those in theupper strip.

The strips may be spliced into endless band form upon devices comprising a drum Sl, smaller than the band to be made and y provided with a roller 82 which can be pressed against it. As shown this roller is mounted on links 83 and 84, theformer of which is pivoted to a standard 85 and the latter to an arm 86 pivoted at 87 and having a handle 88. The splice is made by hand around the drum as in Fig, 16, and then, with the roller pressed against the drum as in Fig. 17, the drum is rotated to pass the splice past the roller to thoroughlybond the splice together. v

The guides and 46 can be arranged to produce laminated material of the type shown in Fig, 18, in which the plies are of equal width and thesdesirable step-oft1 at thev sides is obtained by having the plies ovelap; or of the type shown in Fig. 11,

where the overlap is obtained by having one ply wider than the other. The former method is preferred, as the overall width of the laminated strip will be kept constant by the guides irrespective of variations in the widths of the separate plies due to errorsinV cutting. v

Having Vthus described my invention, I claim:

l. An apparatus of the class described comprising a pair of belt conveyors each adapted to receive a continuous strip of tirebuilding material, pulleys over which thc belts pass arranged close together so as to cause the two strips of material to be pressed by the belts into adhesive contact, and means for vintroducing between the pulleys at measured intervals a series of members serving to prevent adhesive contact of the strips.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising a pair of belt conveyors each adapted to receive a continuous strip of tirebuilding material, pulleys over which the belts pass arranged close together so as to cause the two strips of material to be pressed by the belts into adhesive contact, a conveyor carrying between the pulleys at measured intervals a series of strip separators, and a fourth conveyor receiving the laminated strip from the pulleys and transporting it into position for further treatment, .said third and fourth conveyors traveling together for a portion of their travel and then diverging.

A .n apparatus of the class described comprising supplies for two strips of tirebuilding material, rolling means for pressing theV strips progressively into adhesive contact,` and means for introducing at measured intervals a series of separators between Y the strips.

4. A method of preparing endless band Y material in unstretched condition for use in tire building, which consists in pressing together into permanent adhesive contact a pair of continuous Hat webs of unstretched bias-cut rubberized` cord fabric, while leaving at spaced intervals, equal in length to the circumference of the band, areas where the strips are not pressed into permanent adherence; severing the twol plies ofthe laminated web along opposite angles at each of said non-adhering portions; and joining the ends of each. of the thus-severed two-ply strips while still fiat transversely and in unstretched condition, to produce a flat endless band of uniform elasticity adapted to be later stretched throughout a complet-e circumference to shape it into tire form kfor the construction of a tire casing.

5. A' method of preparing and applying carcass-building material in the buil-ding of tire casings which comprises uniting lengths of bias-cut rubberized cord-fabric into two continuous strips, pressing the two strips into adhesive contact with separating members inserted between them at predetermined distances, tearing one of the strips Where. thus separated from the other, removing the separator, tearing the other strip. splicing into endless (iat band form the strips so produced while keeping them fiat and substantially free from stretch and from lateral distortion and stretching the bands over tire-building forms.

6. An apparatus for producing laminated strips of bias out material ready for splicing into endless bands, comprising a pair of substantially horizontal conveyors in substantially horizontal alignment and leading to a common point and each presenting a substantially horizontal moving surface, accessible for the laying and splicing into a continuous length of a series of fw bias cut strips, means for pressing together the two continuous strips thus formed, and a conveyor adapted to receive the two-ply strip from the pressing means and to present a moving surface upon which the two-ply strip may be separated into lengths 7. An apparatus for producing laminated strips of bias cut material ready for splicing into endless bands, comprising a pair of substantially horizontal conveyors leading to a common point and each presenting a substantially horizontal moving surface, accessible for the vlaying and splicing into a continuous length of a series of bias cut strips, means for pressing` together the two continuous strips thus formed, a conveyor adapted to receive the tWo-ply strip from the pressing means and to present a moving surface upon Which the tivo-ply strip may be separated into lengths, and means for indicating the desired intervals at which said strip is to be separated.

8. An apparatus for producing laminated strips of bias cut material ready for splicing into endless bands, comprising' a pair of substantially horizontal conveyors in substantially horizontal alignment and leading to a common point and each presenting a substantially horizontal moving surface, accessible for the laying and splicing into a continuous length of a series of bias cut strips, and means for pressing` together the t\vo continuous strips thus formed.

9. An apparatus for producing laminated strips of bias cut material ready for splicin;` int-o endless hands, comprising a pair of substantially horizontal conveyors leading to a common point and each presenting a substantially horizontal moving surface, accessible for the laying and splicing into a continuous length of a series of bias cut strips, means for pressing together the two continuous strips thus formed, and means for indicating the desired intervals at Which the two-ply strip is to be separated into lengths.

l0. An apparatus of the class described comprising a pair of belt conveyors each adapted to receive a continuous strip of tirebuilding material, pulleys over which the tivo belts pass arranged close together so to cause the two strips of material to be pressed by the belts into adhesive contact, aud'guides for the. edges of the 'two strips arranged one on each conveyor but on opc `ite sides of the path of movement of the st v`ps, whereby a constant Width of the laminat-ed strip can be maintained irrespective of variations in the Width of the individual stri 5s,

ll. A method of producing laminated endless bands of cord fabric which comprises pressing together a pair of continuous Webs of bias-rut rubberized cord fabric With their cords disposed at opposite angles, inserting between the Webs at spaced intervals prior to their' being pressed into contact with each other a substantially triangular piece of material substantially nonadherent with respect to the rubberized fabric, said triangular piece being placed With its base parallel with the edges of the Webs, severing one ply of material along the line of its cords starting at one side adjacent the apex of the triangle, vr moving the triangular piece, severing the other ply from the saine starting point but along the line of its cords, and joining together the single ply portions soformed at the tivo ends of ear-h strip to form thereby an endless band.

1 2. As a separator for spaced portions of nmlti-ply rubberized cord fabric strips, a substantially triangular piece of flexible material substantially non-adherent With respect to theV rubberized strips and having a guide line marked thereon from the center of the base to the apex.

CHARLES EDGAR MAYNARD. 

